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The small Benedictine priory of St. Mary of
Molycourt, also called the chapel of St. Mary de
Bello Loco, stood in the parish of Outwell, on
the right hand of the road from Downham to
Outwell. According to Blomefield it was
founded in pre-Norman days, but very little is
known of its history. In the time of Henry III,
Adam, son and heir of Sir John de Brancastre,
granted the patronage of this priory to Robert de
Hale, rector of Aylington, for the sum of ten
marks.

In September, 1273, the sheriff of Norfolk
was directed to restore to the monks of Molycourt the lands and chattels of the priory, which
had been taken into the king's hands by reason of
the larceny and other trespasses of Oliver, keeper
of the priory, a clerk, whereof he was indicted
before the justices, and he had purged his innocence before the bishop of Norwich according to
the ecclesiastical manner. A like document
was sent to the sheriff of Cambridge. (fn. 2)

The taxation of 1291 gives its annual value at
£9 2s. 8d.; it then held possessions in three
Norfolk townships.

In 1313, Henry de Hale, clerk, granted the
patronage of the priory to John FitzGilbert de
Beaupré of Outwell. Nicholas, the greatgrandson of John FitzGilbert, by his will, dated
1380, left his body to be buried in the conventual chapel of Molycourt, and the residue of his
movable goods to his wife Margaret, and to
Thomas de Walton, prior of Molycourt, to be
disposed of for the honour of God and for his
soul's health. Nicholas died in 1402, and was
succeeded by a son of the same name, whose will,
dated 24 September, 1428, leaves 20s. to the
monks of Molycourt. Thomas de Beaupré, son
and heir of the younger Nicholas, married Margaret, daughter of John Meers. Margaret, by
her will of the year 1439, left her body to be
buried in the chapel of the priory of St. Mary,
before the image of St. John Baptist.

The great storm and, inundations of the fourteenth century were most disastrous to the low
lying lands of this poorly endowed priory. On
23 February, 1385, the bishop of Ely granted
forty days' indulgence to all benefactors of the
priory on account of its poverty. Though the
priory site was in Norfolk, most of the parishes of
Outwell and Upwell, including the greater part
of the priory lands, were in Cambridgeshire, in
the Isle of Ely, and hence under that bishop's
jurisdiction.

On the death of Prior Walton, in 1427, there
was only one monk left in the house, namely
Stephen de Wyse, and the bishop out of pure
favour (gratiose) collated him as prior. (fn. 3)

Eventually the lands became so impoverished
by the continued incursions of water, both salt
and fresh, that there was barely maintenance
enough for a single monk. Licence was, therefore, obtained, in 1446, from Henry VI to
permit the appropriation of this priory by the
prior and convent of Ely. Its chief endowment
at that time consisted of a messuage and 24 acres
of land in Wiggenhall, and eight messuages in
Outwell, Upwell and Downham in the counties
of Cambridge and Norfolk. (fn. 4)

There was some delay in carrying out the
formal appropriation, but the bishop of Norwich's
consent was obtained on 4 December, 1449, the
church of Ely paying to the church of Norwich
a yearly pension of 3s. 4d.

Henceforth Molycourt was a cell of Ely. It
would not have obtained that title unless divine
worship had been carried on in the old priory;
probably, therefore, one or two Ely monks lived
in the old house, the senior of whom would be
termed the prior.

A Valor of Ely monastery, taken soon after
the dissolution, names under Outwell, the houses
and site, with lands and tenement of the late cell
of Molycourt, and declares its clear annual value
at £6 14s. 11d.